1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for changing a subscriber profile on the basis of the identity of the particular base station currently serving the subscriber's terminal equipment in a mobile communication network.
2. Description of Related Art
It is expected that, in the near future, a growing demand will develop for various applications and services that require identification of the particular base station currently serving a subscriber's terminal equipment in mobile communication networks. The profile of a travelling or moving subscriber can be modified, as for example by limiting or extending services or changing available applications or their operation or features, as a function of the network cell in whose area the subscriber is currently located. One current example of this need is in home cell pricing policy, in accordance with which the charges for a subscriber's calls are calculated at a reduced rate when the subscriber's terminal equipment is located within the so-called home cell area or region.
In current mobile communication systems, however, it is difficult to implement such changes in the subscriber profile on the basis of base station identity, primarily because base stations do not have a permanent identity, i.e. one that is consistent for a period of months or years. The CGI (Cell Global Identity) information that is currently transmitted in the BCCH (Broadcast Control Channel) channel of a mobile communication network contains by way of example a cell identifier, but in network reconfigurations it is not uncommon that the cell identifiers must be changed. Some such changes apply to only a single base station at a time, so that applications and services could be designed to utilize the identifiers of a plurality of base stations, in which case changing the identifier of one of the base stations would not necessarily confuse the application or render it unusable. Other changes, such as Base Station Controller (BSC) switch-overs, simultaneously apply to and affect a large number of base stations, so that the aforementioned technique of monitoring a plurality of base stations for identification changes cannot be effectively or practically utilized. In short, designing and constructing a system for changing the subscriber profile on the basis of base station identity is at present either impossible or, at the very least, impractically expensive.